St. John's Parish Day School students got a visit from local author Anne Clark Schoenhut, who treated them to a reading of her new book, "Downtown Brown's Visit to Historic Ellicott City."
Illustrated by the author's niece, Jessica Clark, the children's book follows Miss Thomas' second grade class, along with the class mascot Downtown Brown, on a school field trip to Historic Elliott City and Clark's Ellioak Farm.
"The story is really very special to our school because Mrs. Schoenhut is a former teacher here at St. John's Parish Day School and Downtown Brown is where we got our mascot, Spirit the Bear, from," said Nikki Lowe, St. John's Parish Day School Director of Marketing and Development.
The book follows the students as they visit Clark's Elioak Farm, home of the Enchanted Forest, and walk along Ellicott City's Main Street to several historic sites including the Howard County Historical Society Museum, the Court House, Mt. Ida, the ruins of the Patapsco Female Institute, the Firehouse Museum, the Thomas Isaac log Cabin, the B&O Railroad Station and the Benjamin Banneker Museum.
For more information, go to the book's Facebook page, "Downtown Brown's Visit to Historic Ellicott City." To purchase the books in paperback or ebook go to http://www.etsy.com/shop/HelloDowntownBrownor email the author atdowntown_brown@aol.com.
If you need help spelling a word, ask Trinity School student Adarsh Gadepalli. The fifth grader recently won the Archdiocese of Baltimore Spelling Bee, a competition the school described as a "nail biter".
Gadepalli credits his mother Sumithra as his "secret weapon."
"My mother went over all the lists with me. And when I learned all the words, she got new lists!"
The eleven-year-old, who beat students in 4th, 5th and 6th grades from other Catholic schools to claim the Spelling Bee title, explained his winning strategy, "When I am given a word to spell, I pretend to write it on my hand and that helps me see it in my mind. Sometimes I ask for the definition because some words sound similar. I am grateful that I have a very good memory."
Congratulations to Girl Scout and Mount Hebron High School senior Marie Sgouros, who was selected as a Maryland Distinguished Finalist in the 2015 PrudentialSpirit of Community Awards. She was recognized at the May 6 Girl Scouts annual council meeting held at Martin's West, where she was presented with an engraved bronze medallion for her outstanding community service work.
The Ellicott City student founded two summer programs, "English Kids to Kids" and "Bridging Cultures," that pair teenagers with Burmese refugee children to teach them to speak English and help them understand the American culture.
Howard County students were well represented among the state finalists this year. In addition to Sgouros, River Hill High School student Athena Kan was also selected as one of the six Distinguished Finalists. In addition, twelve-year-old, Ellie Feaga, a Glenwood Middle School student, was chosen as one of the two State Honorees.
For more information about the Prudential Spirit ofCommunity Awards State Honorees and Distinguished Finalists, go to spirit.prudential.com.